proverb · Words worth keeping
A short cut is often a wrong cut.
A short cut is often a wrong cut.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A shortcut often becoming a wrong turn contrasts reduced effort with an unsuccessful route. The saying asks whether omitted steps were necessary.
What the words are saying
The word often is a caution, not proof that every efficient method is bad. A useful application checks which steps protect quality and which can reasonably be simplified. The image is not a route-safety rule and should not replace evidence about the particular method.
Everyday example
Someone removes a redundant step but retains a check that catches important errors.
When to use it
Use it to distinguish useful efficiency from omitted essentials.
What it does not mean
No universal failure of shortcuts or physical route guidance is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
Denmark
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 745; PDF page 68; collection label: Denmark
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Denmark